How often do we actually go beyond feeling to doing? To executing, to actually making a difference?
let me just say that it’s not every feeling you need to act upon. Sometimes feelings are unreliable and confusing. The emotions I’m referring to are the ones that you experience when someone is facing a difficult situation.Turning feelings into action
So your girl is currently reading Lucas en la Biblia. I was reading when I came across the story of Jesus raising a widow’s son back to life. So this widow’s only son had died, they were carrying his body out and when Jesus saw her, ‘his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry”’ (Luke 7:13). You can clearly see how deeply moved Jesus was for his heart to go out to her. He had compassion on her.
I’ve been thinking: does my heart go out to people that are hurting around me? Or have I desensitised myself to it? Or does my heart only go out to specific people that I like?
Jesus didn’t stop at this feeling of compassion but went on to actually do something: He resurrected the dead son. His feelings didn’t just stop there, at a feeling. His feelings spurred him to act, to make a difference in the life of another. His feelings turned into action.
Being a Samaritan
Now another short story in Lucas, pero in capítulo 10 all about the story of the good Samaritan. Jesus gave an analogy about what it actually means to love your neighbour as you love yourself.
So there was a man travelling who was attacked by robbers who left him half dead. Two people saw this man and crossed to the other side of the road, but when a Samaritan saw this man, he took pity on him. The Samaritan went on to bandage the man’s wounds and took him to an inn to take care of him. At the end of the story, in relation to the actions of the Samaritan, Jesus said, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
So, similar to Jesus, the Samaritan went beyond ‘feeling’ and did something to help this man who was clearly in need. I was even thinking to myself that if I needed help and people ignored me, I really wouldn’t like that. I’m reminded of the scripture in Proverbs 21:13, “Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need” – yikes.
Sometimes feeling sorry for someone isn’t enough. Why don’t you actually commit to making time for them, to praying both for them and with them? Why don’t you pray that God would use you to be the answer to someone else’s prayer? Why don’t you just love on people the same way Christ loves you?
Loving people is draining sometimes
Honestly, it can get draining if your heart just be going out to everybody. There’s a lot of pain, a lot of hurting and a lot of emotion out there. This is where you need to be relying on the Holy Spirit and not depending on your own strength and just straight up asking God to help you.
I find that loving on people and helping them can be tiring especially when you’re so invested in people and it may not feel reciprocal. I need to be doing good to people without expecting to get anything back because more time my reward is in heaven (Luke 6:35). It’s all about loving selflessly (God help me) because it’s what God has commanded us to do. The world could really do with some love and positivity going around, it’s not everyday toxicity and complaining.
I’ve found that if I’m feeling something or having an emotional response to someone or their situation, there may be a reason behind it. So I ask God what I should do about it, and what I can do to help that person.
Let’s reflect Christ’s love so people can see that we are different and there are genuine, loving people in the world.
For more on feelings and that, have a read of #23: Hearing from God: Confirmation vs your feelings
Resources
Song
We love a bit of TC worship: not depending on me but replying on you, your mercies are new everyday and I will trust you
